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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · lean · degree · wound · fine · mate · mug · branch

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fine — all right
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mug — a face
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rest — a break
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. lean — thin
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com